as in lie
a statement that is only partly true and that is intended to deceive people
I'm tired of all these half-truths—I want to know the real story.
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Recent Examples of half-truth
In a world where images are so numerous and so difficult to understand, truth itself can be in danger, threatened by false interpretations and distorted, misleading half-truths.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The intrigue in The Martians comes from its author’s patient demonstration of how half-truths and subjective observations can snowball into consensus.
—David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
As usual, the fake posts are often mixed with half-truths.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Well, not a lie, but a half-truth.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Dunham, who wrote and directed the episode, also seeds their interactions with the distractions, evasions, and half-truths of two people with baggage who aren’t yet comfortable baring their whole souls.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025
Gutter guard companies and salesmen may be spewing half-truths to you.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Science and reason get stepped on by half-truths and conspiracy theories.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The intrigue in The Martians comes from its author’s patient demonstration of how half-truths and subjective observations can snowball into consensus.
—David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
As usual, the fake posts are often mixed with half-truths.
—John Brandon, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Well, not a lie, but a half-truth.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Dunham, who wrote and directed the episode, also seeds their interactions with the distractions, evasions, and half-truths of two people with baggage who aren’t yet comfortable baring their whole souls.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025
Gutter guard companies and salesmen may be spewing half-truths to you.
—Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Science and reason get stepped on by half-truths and conspiracy theories.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-truth
Noun
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Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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Harrison called that a lie, saying Welsh knew of university professors teaching LGBTQ+ content long before Monday.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Then, in February, after an early version of the site was ready, a story about Shield Seniors and Tejasvi appeared in the Dallas Observer, bringing her to the attention of the people at AARP.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Half-truth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-truth. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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